VIDEO: Iran displays what it says is a captured, top secret U.S. drone

Iran on Thursday displayed what it says is a high-flying, super stealthy American drone that it used cyber warfare to take down over its country in the last week.

An RQ-170 Sentinel, sometimes called the Beast of Kandahar, loitered over the compound where Osama Bin Laden was hiding before and during the U.S. raid that killed him. According to the New York Times, the U.S. had been using a Sentinel over Iran to monitor that country’s nuclear and missile development program.

American officials say the drone they lost was badly damaged, though what was shown on Iranian TV looked anything but.

Iran Claims TV Broadcast Shows US Drone

World News Videos by NewsLook


“The plane was caught in an electronic ambush,” Iranian aerospace force commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, “and brought down with minimum damage.”

The undercarriage is carefully hidden while on TV and some in the Pentagon are unofficially suggesting what is being shown may actually be a mock-up.

The United States considered a secret mission into Iran to retrieve the drone, filled with sensitive stealth and sensory technology. Ultimately, however, the U.S. decided that would be too risky.

But President Barack Obama said the United States is not backing down from their intense observation of Iran.

“If they are pursuing nuclear weapons, then I have said very clearly, it is contrary to the national security interests of the United States, contrary to the national security interests of our allies, including Israel,” he said. “We are going to work the world community to prevent that.”

Do you support journalism that strengthens our democracy?

At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.

Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!